Spacecraft Ground Software Engineer III

Quantum Space•Hawthorne, CA

2d•$120,000 - $150,000

About The Position

Quantum Space is seeking an experienced software engineer to lead the development, integration, and operational support of software systems for spacecraft testing, mission operations, and real-time ground communications. The role focuses on distributed systems, mission operations, infrastructure, and real-time data processing, and supports spacecraft integration, command and telemetry workflows, and mission readiness throughout the vehicle lifecycle. The engineer will work with flight software, AI&T, mission operations, avionics, and systems engineering teams to build scalable, reliable ground software for integration and on-orbit operations. The role includes ownership of major parts of the ground segment architecture and influence over its long-term technical direction, as well as mentoring junior and mid-level engineers and contributing to engineering standards. The position is located in Hawthorne, California. The stated base salary range is $120,000 to $150,000. The company also describes equity and comprehensive benefits. Applicants must meet the stated U.S. Government space technology export regulation eligibility requirements.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, electrical engineering, aerospace engineering, software engineering, or a related technical field.
At least 5 years of software engineering experience, including production experience developing complex systems.
Strong proficiency in at least one major programming language: Python, Go, C++, or Java.
Experience developing distributed systems, APIs, or microservices architectures.
Familiarity with cloud platforms, Docker, and orchestration frameworks such as Kubernetes.
Understanding of satellite operations concepts, telemetry/command systems, or communication protocols.
Experience with CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, and code quality practices.
Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, protected individual per 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience developing spacecraft ground systems, mission control software, or telemetry/command frameworks.
Experience with message bus or streaming technologies such as Kafka, MQTT, or Redis Streams.
Knowledge of CCSDS standards, including telemetry, command, SM&C, or file delivery.
Experience building operational UIs, dashboards, or visualization tools.
Contributions to system architecture decisions, scaling strategies, and infrastructure automation.
Experience supporting real-time or mission-critical operational environments.
Familiarity with RF systems, link-layer protocols, or satellite network configurations.

Responsibilities

Lead the design, development, and deployment of ground software components, including payload data pipelines, telemetry processing, event handling, dashboards, tools, and automated monitoring.
Own major portions of the ground segment architecture and guide its long-term technical direction.
Develop tools and automation to improve reliability, operator efficiency, and system observability across satellite missions.
Work with mission operators, mission design and analysis, and systems engineering to understand operational workflows and translate them into software solutions.
Lead integration of new spacecraft, subsystems, and communication interfaces into the ground system.
Implement scalable microservices, APIs, and data pipelines for real-time and offline mission operations.
Ensure system resiliency, security, and performance through testing, code review, CI/CD, and operational best practices.
Support anomaly investigations by building diagnostic tools, analyzing telemetry flows, and identifying root causes within the ground architecture.
Mentor junior and mid-level engineers and contribute to engineering standards and best practices.